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filled fa doubting of every Thing, in affirming nothing at all, and in keeping the Judgment in Sufpenfe on every Thing. Sextus Empirkus makes Scepticifm to confift in a Faculty of oppoiing all Appearances, of making all, even contrary Things, equally probable, and of proceeding £ril to an ssro^H, Suipenfe of Mind, and then to an intire Undifturbedneis or Tranquillity. Hence thefe great Maxims of theirs, 'Ob y.a.Khw t£7o b Ik&p'6 } 'This is no more than that. Ileum htya hoy©, &g. Every Reafon has fome Reafon againjl it ; and 'cw^ ozifa, I determine nothing. The proper Character then of 'Scepticifm is an £x«tT«Ai4'«, Neutrality, or iuch a Diipoiition of Mind as does nor, upon any Occafion^ incline to any thing more than the contrary thing. This Hefitancy of the Scepticks is well defcribed by Arijiocles in Eifeb. de preepar. Evan. All Things are equally indifferent, uncertain and unde- terfflinate ; neither our Senfesj nor our Opinions give lis eitherTruthor Falfehood : Therefore, neither the one, nor the other are to be credited ; but all Things to be left on a Level, without having any Opinion, Inclination or Motion of the Mind at all. 'Tis added, that the Scepticks carried this Suipenfe of theirs fo far, as to deny, that any thing is either good or evilj jult or unjuil, true or falfe ; or that any thing is this, more than that. See Scepticks.
'Tis from this Acatalepfia of the Scepticks, that g)es Cartes feems to have borrowed his great Principle of doubting of all Things; as is own'd by many of his Follow- ers. It mull be own'd, there is fome Difference between the Doubting of the Scepticks, and that of the Cartefians. In Phy ileal Matters, J tis true, there does not feem a great deal of Difference ; and 2)es Cartes, in that Refpect, may, without much Injuftice, be deem'd a $Gej>tib.: But this may be faid in his Favour, That the great Socrates was fo far a Sceptic himfelf ; phyiical and fenfibleThings, he held, were all dubiousj and, at bell, butprobable. See Carte- sian ism.
The Origin of Scepticifm is fomewhat obfcUre 5 Pyrrho, who lived under Alexander the Great; and made the lour of India in his Retinue* is ufually reputed the Author 5 whence Tyrrhenians and Scepticks are ordinarily uied in- differently. See Pyrrhonian. It mull be own'd, however, that the great Dogma of the Scepticks had been countenanced, and even cultivated before Pyrrho by Democritus, Heraclhus, §§c. Sextus Empirkus fays, eoipreily, That all that Pyrrho did, was to improve, illuftrate and inforce the Dogma 5 and form the Retainers thereto into a Seel. ^Democritus , s Philoibphy was near akin to Scepticifm ; for that, upon his obferving, thatHoney ieemed fweet to fome, and bitter to others, he concluded, that 'twas neither fweet nor bitter ; and thereupon pro- nounced b^aa'Cj 11011 magis, which is pure Scepticifm. let the fame Sextus adds, That c De?mcritus was no Sceptic. Though Plato argue very flrenuoufly againil the Acata- lepfy of the Scepticks; yet 'tis certain that Dogma re- ceived a great Part of its Encouragement from Socrates's School, and 'Plato's Academy. Nay, 'twas a great Con- t rover iy among the Ancients, whether 'Plato himfelf were a Sceptic or %Jcgm a tift. Indeed Plato's decifive Way of fpeaking, in many cafes, feems to leave no great room for iuch a Doubt ; but 'tis certain, his Followers of the New Academy founded by Arcefilas, gave much into this Way; and Nihil Scitu, was held by them, a Principle, Sextus Empirkus obierves, That Socrates himfelf had a Tincture tf Scepticifm ; fome even make him the Author of it, from that cultomary Saying of his, I know nothing bt't this y that I know nothing. If this were the Origin of Scep- ticifm, it m'uft be owned, it was mightily improved after- wards, e'er Metrodorus faid, I know nothing, not even this, that I know nothing. The fame Sextus however adds, That 2Vtf/o,introducinghis Matter in his Gymnaftic Dialogues, difputing with theSophifts, makes him act the Part of a Sceptic. Some have even charged Job and Solomon with Scepticifm; from their propofing a great Number of Queftipns, without deciding any of them. The Philolbpher of Kiel, who has published a Differta- tion on Scepticifm, fetches its Origin (till higher: He will have the Devil the Author thereof, who made our firft Parents doubt of the Word of God himfelf; and drew them in, the firfl Profelytes to Scepticifm.
SCEPTICKS, a Seel of Ancient Phifofophers, founded byPjyjy/^whofe diflinguifhingTenet was,That all Things are uncertain and incomprehenfible ; Contraries equally lr ue ; that the Mind is never to aflent to any thing 5 but to keep up an ablblute Hefitancy or Indifference. See Scepticism.
Tlato refutes the great Principle of the Scepticks thus : When you fay, that all Things are incomprehenfible, do >'ou comprehend or conceive that they are thus incompre- henfible, or do you not? If you do, then Something is c °mprehenfible 5 if you don't, thefe is no Reafon we fhould believe you, fince you don't comprehend your own Affertion.
The Term Sceptic, in its Original Cfreelef-Xwrltxif, properly fignifies Confderative, of, A Man who is ever weighing the Reafons on one Side and the Other, without ever deciding between them. 'Tis form'd from the Verb ftUgr/wdif, to confider, weigh, deliberate. Laertins adds, That the Followers of Pyrrho, had various Denomina- tions ; from their Mailer, they were called Tyrrhenians; from their Dogma Aporctici, that is Doubters, of aVopsTp, to doubt. From their Sufpenfion and Hefitation, Ephe&ici, of iTtyif to flay, to keep back ; and from their never getting beyond the Search of Truth, Zetetici.
SCELOTYRBE; from £&*©-, Cms, the Leg; and TveC»,Tumultus,V proAr, fignifieth thole Pains in the Legs; that generally attend Scorbutick Habits; whence it is alfb frequently uied for the Scurvy itfelf, and applied to fome Medicines contrived againil fuch Diibrders.
SCHAR-FENNY, Scharn-Penny \ and fometimes Schorn-Penyy. It appears from our old Books, that fome cuftomary Tenants were obliged to pen up their Cattle at Night in the Pound or Yard of their Lord, for the Be- nefit of their Dung or Sceam, as is the Saxon Word. And if they did not do this, they were obliged to pay a fmall Compenfation, which therefore was called by this Name of Schar-Penny.
SCHEAT or SEA"T, in Aflronomy, a fixed Star of the Second Magnitude in the Juncture of the Leg, with the Left Shoulder otpegafus. Some call it Seat A/phorus, and fome Scheat Pegaji. Its Longitude, according to Mr. Fhmfiead, is 2?° 2' 1 3 its Latitude 3 \o 8' 6" North.
SCHEDULE, or Cedilla, a Scroll of Paper, or Parch- ment, anhex'd or appended to a Will, Leafe, Deed or other Infrrument, containing an Inventory of Goods, or fome other Matter, omitted in the Body of the Inffra- fnent. See Cehuea.
SCHEMATISM. See Figure.
SCHEME, a Model, Draught, tfc. or the Reprcfenti- tion of any Geometrical or Ailronomical Figure, or Pro- blem by Lines fenfible to the Eye : Or of the Cceleflial Bodies in their proper Places for any Moment. . See Diagram. The Word is form'd from the Greek ay%p&.
SCHERIF. SeeCuERiF.
SCHIRE MOTE, wasanciently'afolemn Meeting of all the free Tenants and Knights in any Counry, to do Fealty to the King, and elect an Annual Sheriff. See Sheriff.
SCHIRRUS, in Medicine, called alfo Schirrome and Schirrofis, a hard, indolent Tumor, form'd gradually, in the ibft, glandulous Parts of the Body ; Sometimes in- ternal, and fometimes external. There are two Kinds of Schirrits's ; the one only beginning, and frequently pain- ful when pfefs'd by the Fingers ; the other, confirm'd and ferifelefs. The Schimts arifes from a thick, vifcid, pro- bably, gritty Matter, detained and indurated in the Pores and other minute Paflages of the Parts affected. There are fome Schirri'Ss as hard as Stones ; fome are even painful in their confirm'd State, and partake of the Na- ture of a Cancer. The Word is form'd from the Greek antpp©-* hardneis.
SCHISM, a Term, which, in tjie general, fignifies©/- vijicn, or Separation ; but chiefly ufed in Aeaking of Se- parations happening through Diverfity^f Opinions among People of the fame Religion and Faith : Thus we fay, The Schifm of the Ten Tribes of Jfrael, from the Two Tribe's afyitda %\&&e#janiiii. See Samaritans. The Schifm of the Perfians from the Turks and other Mahome- tans. Among Ecclefiaflical Authors, the Great Schifm of the Weft, is that which happened in the Times of 'Clement V|L and Urban VI. which divided the Church for Forty or Fifty Years, and was at length ended by the Election of Martin V. at the Council of Conftans. The Romanifis number Thirty-four Schifms in their Church : Theybeitow the Name of the Englijh Schifm on the Reformation of Religion in that Kingdom; thofe of the Church of England again apply the Term Schifm to the Separation of the? Nonconformifts, viz. the Presbyterians and Anabaptifts, who are earneft for a further Reformation. Some call the Separation of the Protectants from the Church of Rome, a Paffive Schifm^ becaufe that Church cut them off fronl her Communion. The Word is form'd from the Greek <?y/<r^t, cleft, fiffure.
SCHOENOBATES, a Name the Greeks gave to their Rope-dancers. The Romwis call them, punambulu The Schcsnobates wefe Slaves, whoie Mailers made Mo- ney of them, by entertaining the People with their Feats of Activity. Mercurialis de Arte Gymnajlica, Lib. Ill- gives us five Figures of Scfcosno&ates Engraven after ancient Stones. The Word is form'd from the Greek ffKo/t©-, a Rope ; and $a.ivv, I walk.
SCHOLASTIC, fomething belonging to the Schools a of that is taught in the Schools. See School.
The Title Schola(lic-us t was a long time a Title of Honour. At firft it was only given to fuch. as diftinguifhed themlelves by their Eloquence, in Declaim'
